The tarot pages are the students of the deck. The Page’s Journey is a series of articles on learning tarot, geared for new beginners, and curious onlookers. I outlined this series while working on my book, but I wanted to post these articles here for free, to help out folx who are totally new. Most of what we’ll cover here is common knowledge in the field; some is my personal opinion.
Today, let’s cover some intro tips and approaches for embarking on a rewarding tarot practice in your first few years or so.
Today, let’s cover some intro tips and approaches for embarking on a rewarding tarot practice in your first few years or so.
It’s Normal to Suck At First
Every practice comes with a learning curve, including tarot. You don’t have to be psychic, studied, or particularly wise to get started. Because of the psychic reputation, I think there’s a disproportionate expectation for newbie tarot readers to be instantly gifted, and if it doesn’t click right away, you don’t have “the gift.” Nonsense!
Sure, some readers connect with the cards and pick it up faster than others. And some readers already have strong intuitions, life wisdom, or people skills from other practices. But it takes time to learn anything, including artistic and esoteric crafts. Your first readings will probably be confusing and less than perfectly accurate. That’s fine! If you enjoy it, keep at it.
I didn’t have any special gift for tarot when I started. It didn’t come easily or quickly, and I had no burning desire to read for others. I was drawn to the artwork, and got into it casually, without goals. I found I had something to share with others about fourteen years into the process—that’s a wicked slow burn! But on the long run, it’s netted some great results, including a book and multiple decks along with this blog.
Sure, some readers connect with the cards and pick it up faster than others. And some readers already have strong intuitions, life wisdom, or people skills from other practices. But it takes time to learn anything, including artistic and esoteric crafts. Your first readings will probably be confusing and less than perfectly accurate. That’s fine! If you enjoy it, keep at it.
I didn’t have any special gift for tarot when I started. It didn’t come easily or quickly, and I had no burning desire to read for others. I was drawn to the artwork, and got into it casually, without goals. I found I had something to share with others about fourteen years into the process—that’s a wicked slow burn! But on the long run, it’s netted some great results, including a book and multiple decks along with this blog.
Tarot's Not For Everyone (& That's OK)
Different decks have very different qualities, and different readers have very different approaches and skill levels, so don’t let a single meh experience sour you on the whole field. That said, tarot doesn’t do it for everyone and there’s no shame in that.
If your religious background or love for the horror genre has you scared of tarot, and you spook yourself every time you pick up a deck, then stop and sort that out before you get going. If you have difficulty making decisions or conducting kind and constructive conversation with yourself, you might seek external guidance from a counselor or trusted friends as you learn. You can stop if you don’t get it. You can stop if it doesn’t work well for you. You can stop if you don’t like it.
If your religious background or love for the horror genre has you scared of tarot, and you spook yourself every time you pick up a deck, then stop and sort that out before you get going. If you have difficulty making decisions or conducting kind and constructive conversation with yourself, you might seek external guidance from a counselor or trusted friends as you learn. You can stop if you don’t get it. You can stop if it doesn’t work well for you. You can stop if you don’t like it.
Pace Yourself
You are not going to learn tarot all in one go. You do not have to give it your whole life. Adopt a quick daily practice if you can. This can be as simple as a five minute single card draw at the beginning or end of your day. Don’t sweat it if you can’t get to it daily, or need to take breaks, even for months at a time.
I took long seasonal breaks from tarot periodically in my first several years with it. Mostly to concentrate on school or work, but it’s also been helpful for disrupting bad habits, and breaking any tendency toward dependency on the cards. Tarot can be immersive, especially for those of us who fall easily into artistic obsessions. Taking a break gives you the distance to recall your personal philosophy outside of tarot, practice making decisions without tarot input, and focus on developing other areas of intuition and craft if you like. It also gives your subconscious long stretches to digest all that gnarly symbolism, unpestered by your waking opinions and anxieties.
I still take breaks like this once in a blue moon, and won’t do any personal readings for a month or two at a time. I dabble in a lot of crafts, with dedicated practices in several media, and I’ve yet to meet a creative pursuit that can’t benefit from an occasional vacation or sabbatical.
I took long seasonal breaks from tarot periodically in my first several years with it. Mostly to concentrate on school or work, but it’s also been helpful for disrupting bad habits, and breaking any tendency toward dependency on the cards. Tarot can be immersive, especially for those of us who fall easily into artistic obsessions. Taking a break gives you the distance to recall your personal philosophy outside of tarot, practice making decisions without tarot input, and focus on developing other areas of intuition and craft if you like. It also gives your subconscious long stretches to digest all that gnarly symbolism, unpestered by your waking opinions and anxieties.
I still take breaks like this once in a blue moon, and won’t do any personal readings for a month or two at a time. I dabble in a lot of crafts, with dedicated practices in several media, and I’ve yet to meet a creative pursuit that can’t benefit from an occasional vacation or sabbatical.
There’s No One Right Way To Tarot
There are almost as many schools, styles, philosophies, beliefs, and interpretations as there are readers. This is not a codified field. You are free to make your own interpretations, question authorities, and innovate for yourself.
When you’re starting out, a lot won’t make sense right away. There’s a ton of symbolism to absorb in a 78 card deck! In the early stages, not getting something likely means you need to sit with it longer, study it closer, or find a book or article that explains it better.
When something in your tarot practice repeatedly fails to land over time, that may be an area to tag in your own creativity. It might mean that that side of tarot doesn’t speak to you or meet your needs as-is. I had trouble connecting with and remembering tarot spreads until I started writing my own. The day I started writing my own spreads, my whole practice leveled up, and now that’s a core part of what I do in tarot, and the most popular side of this blog.
When you’re starting out, a lot won’t make sense right away. There’s a ton of symbolism to absorb in a 78 card deck! In the early stages, not getting something likely means you need to sit with it longer, study it closer, or find a book or article that explains it better.
When something in your tarot practice repeatedly fails to land over time, that may be an area to tag in your own creativity. It might mean that that side of tarot doesn’t speak to you or meet your needs as-is. I had trouble connecting with and remembering tarot spreads until I started writing my own. The day I started writing my own spreads, my whole practice leveled up, and now that’s a core part of what I do in tarot, and the most popular side of this blog.
Most of The Myths Are Baloney
Tarot cards aren’t evil. They are not mediumistic by default. They won’t conjure up ghosts or demons, at least not without extra steps and intention on your part! Neither are the cards sacrosanct or consecrated without extra steps and effort.
It’s fine to pick out your own decks. A gifted deck won’t necessarily read better than one you chose for yourself. I usually find it’s the opposite—you read best from the artwork that speaks to you and matches your tastes. No single deck works for everyone. You don’t have to start with the Smith-Waite deck (though many intro guidebooks do follow Smith-Waite symbolism.) You don’t have to keep your cards wrapped in crushed velvet or charge them by the light of the moon, etc., though you’re welcome to if that floats your boat.
While many witches and Wiccans enjoy tarot, tarot is not necessarily a witchcraft practice in itself. It does not belong to any one religion or craft, and can be practiced in conjunction with any religion that will tolerate it, including agnosticism and atheism. Tarot is neither Christian nor antiChristian by default, but it originated in Christian cultures, and still includes a lot of Christian iconography and allusions. To disconnect from Christianity in your tarot practice, you may want alternative decks that rewrite those symbols.
Tarot does not have to be a psychic practice, and you do not have to be psychic to use tarot for brainstorming, introspection, and creative work.
It’s fine to pick out your own decks. A gifted deck won’t necessarily read better than one you chose for yourself. I usually find it’s the opposite—you read best from the artwork that speaks to you and matches your tastes. No single deck works for everyone. You don’t have to start with the Smith-Waite deck (though many intro guidebooks do follow Smith-Waite symbolism.) You don’t have to keep your cards wrapped in crushed velvet or charge them by the light of the moon, etc., though you’re welcome to if that floats your boat.
While many witches and Wiccans enjoy tarot, tarot is not necessarily a witchcraft practice in itself. It does not belong to any one religion or craft, and can be practiced in conjunction with any religion that will tolerate it, including agnosticism and atheism. Tarot is neither Christian nor antiChristian by default, but it originated in Christian cultures, and still includes a lot of Christian iconography and allusions. To disconnect from Christianity in your tarot practice, you may want alternative decks that rewrite those symbols.
Tarot does not have to be a psychic practice, and you do not have to be psychic to use tarot for brainstorming, introspection, and creative work.
Tarot Isn't Always Medicine. Nor is it Anti-Medicine or Anti-Science.
Tarot is not a substitute for medicine or professional counseling. I know I know, I say this one all the time. That’s a run of the mill disclaimer, but also, the New Age movement has a long history of overstepping its abilities and antagonizing western medicine. That gives many people the impression that anything vaguely spiritual or esoteric must be anti-science or alt-medicine by nature. A lot of folx suppose that all tarot readers are trying to be healers or counselors, or that all psychics reject conventional medicine, and that’s not the case by a long shot.
There are many kinds of healing, many forms of teaching or counseling, and many ways of exploring the world. These don’t have to oppose each other.
Your practice doesn’t need to center healing at all, though it can involve it. I believe the kind of healing that tarot offers—when it offers healing—is the same kind of healing that art and poetry offer, or tea & sympathy with a side of folk wisdom and lived experience from a friend or a weird aunt. Tarot also offers art, entertainment, sass, inspiration, validation, common sense, comfort, and prompts for interesting conversations with our deeper, subconscious, or poetic/creative minds. None of this is regulated, and sometimes that’s a plus.
You don’t need to go through a credentialed middleman or a state academy to introspect, journal, make art, make sense of your own life experiences, sort out your own beliefs, explore your dreams and desires, or have a conversation with yourself. New Age flim-flam is dangerous, but so is the reactionary notion that scientific, academic, regulated wisdom is the only kind of wisdom that counts. You’re not overstepping anything or betraying all of science and academia when you pick up a deck and read for yourself. You’re engaging in a creative practice.
If you’re sick or injured, see a doctor when possible, and consult the pharmacy, the clinic, or the first aid kit. If you’re struggling with your mental health, and you can access safe therapy, see a therapist or psychiatrist, or contact a hotline. If you need specialized legal, professional, or financial advice, consult an expert in those fields before you seek a tarot reader. It’s fine to supplement professional care and counseling with spiritual counsel and private processing, but tarot has limits, and different readers have different levels of expertise in different fields.
Good, safe medicine and professional counseling are not accessible and affordable to all. That is a shame for society, and it is none of our faults as individuals. A psychic might be more accessible, but not able to meet your needs in these departments either. Remember: many things are possible; not all claims are true. Sometimes a good psychic can tell you when you need to see a doctor, and sometimes a charlatan will pretend to be one without qualification. Be cautious and sensible where you spend your money and place your trust! Look for support from friends and community. Keep learning how to become a wiser and kinder source of guidance for yourself.
There are many kinds of healing, many forms of teaching or counseling, and many ways of exploring the world. These don’t have to oppose each other.
Your practice doesn’t need to center healing at all, though it can involve it. I believe the kind of healing that tarot offers—when it offers healing—is the same kind of healing that art and poetry offer, or tea & sympathy with a side of folk wisdom and lived experience from a friend or a weird aunt. Tarot also offers art, entertainment, sass, inspiration, validation, common sense, comfort, and prompts for interesting conversations with our deeper, subconscious, or poetic/creative minds. None of this is regulated, and sometimes that’s a plus.
You don’t need to go through a credentialed middleman or a state academy to introspect, journal, make art, make sense of your own life experiences, sort out your own beliefs, explore your dreams and desires, or have a conversation with yourself. New Age flim-flam is dangerous, but so is the reactionary notion that scientific, academic, regulated wisdom is the only kind of wisdom that counts. You’re not overstepping anything or betraying all of science and academia when you pick up a deck and read for yourself. You’re engaging in a creative practice.
If you’re sick or injured, see a doctor when possible, and consult the pharmacy, the clinic, or the first aid kit. If you’re struggling with your mental health, and you can access safe therapy, see a therapist or psychiatrist, or contact a hotline. If you need specialized legal, professional, or financial advice, consult an expert in those fields before you seek a tarot reader. It’s fine to supplement professional care and counseling with spiritual counsel and private processing, but tarot has limits, and different readers have different levels of expertise in different fields.
Good, safe medicine and professional counseling are not accessible and affordable to all. That is a shame for society, and it is none of our faults as individuals. A psychic might be more accessible, but not able to meet your needs in these departments either. Remember: many things are possible; not all claims are true. Sometimes a good psychic can tell you when you need to see a doctor, and sometimes a charlatan will pretend to be one without qualification. Be cautious and sensible where you spend your money and place your trust! Look for support from friends and community. Keep learning how to become a wiser and kinder source of guidance for yourself.
Stay Humble
Respect this craft and know that while accessible, it is complex below the surface and can take years to explore in depth. For those who catch the bug, tarot is a lifelong pursuit. It requires a balance of study and personal invention, work and play. Don’t let what you don’t know overwhelm you or stop you from digging in. There’s plenty room for new seekers and fools here! Best to be a wise fool and recognize that you are a fool as you set foot down this road.
Go Pro Slow If At All
Your first goal as a dabbler or student shouldn’t be to teach or make money. You do not ever have to read for others; it’s fine to use your practice solely for your own benefit. The decisions of whether and when to read for others, and whether and when to take payment, are personal and come with a range of responsibilities. Others may well take you seriously and follow your advice! Will it go well for all parties involved if they do? Some experience short learning curves, and that’s great, but we all have to learn our crafts before we can teach or sell them.
Tarot makes for a tricky business. There are frauds out there, active anti-fortune-telling laws on the books in many states, and few if any legal protections for readers, even on religious grounds. There is also an epidemic of plagiarism and identity theft scams targeting legitimate tarot authors and professionals on social media. It’s a high-bullshit field. You have to love it to stick with it in public. If you want to read professionally, you’ll want to do your business homework first.
I am not a lawyer or business coach, so this does not constitute professional legal advice. Take it as an arrow pointing toward the need for further research. Benebell Wen is a tarot professional and lawyer, and she has some helpful information on going pro in her book Holistic Tarot, and her content and classes online. I’m a big fan of her work, and always learn a lot from her materials, so check her out whether or not you’re going pro!
Tarot makes for a tricky business. There are frauds out there, active anti-fortune-telling laws on the books in many states, and few if any legal protections for readers, even on religious grounds. There is also an epidemic of plagiarism and identity theft scams targeting legitimate tarot authors and professionals on social media. It’s a high-bullshit field. You have to love it to stick with it in public. If you want to read professionally, you’ll want to do your business homework first.
I am not a lawyer or business coach, so this does not constitute professional legal advice. Take it as an arrow pointing toward the need for further research. Benebell Wen is a tarot professional and lawyer, and she has some helpful information on going pro in her book Holistic Tarot, and her content and classes online. I’m a big fan of her work, and always learn a lot from her materials, so check her out whether or not you’re going pro!
It’s Okay To Make Mistakes
We all do. Take responsibility for your missteps, reflect and correct as you go, and make amends whenever amends are due.
It’s called the Fool’s Journey for a number of reasons. Messing up, and handling the consequences of messing up, are price of admission for jumping into any artistic or occult craft. Life refuses tidiness and all pastimes have their hazards. Brace yourself to forgive yourself for errors in judgement and missed or mis-interpretations.
It’s called the Fool’s Journey for a number of reasons. Messing up, and handling the consequences of messing up, are price of admission for jumping into any artistic or occult craft. Life refuses tidiness and all pastimes have their hazards. Brace yourself to forgive yourself for errors in judgement and missed or mis-interpretations.
Keep Your Power
Tarot cards can’t tell you what to do or make decisions for you, and asking them to do so can lead to frustrating and murky readings. They can shed light on situations, and either validate or challenge your inclinations. Take responsibility for your own decisions and make choices informed by multiple guides, including logic, observation, outside opinions, and your own conscience and desires. Divination shouldn't be your sole guide. As a guide, divination illuminates, but it can’t act for you.
Seek Salt & Sugar
When tarot works for you and with you, the cards reflect the truth over your own biases. One of tarot’s greatest gifts is to check and reduce bias. Some readings will be validating, some will be challenging, some will nurture and soothe, and some will call you on things you’d rather not hear. Many good readings do all at once.
Tarot should be able to illuminate what you’ve overlooked and tell you things you don’t know yet. If you only ever see what you expect and want to see in the cards, something’s not right. Conversely, if you only see doom, gloom, and harsh news, something’s not right. Tarot should not sound abusive. Disagreement, snark, and lovingly calling you on your nonsense are not abuse. Disparagement, humiliation, shame, and cruel hyper-criticism are. Some readings will veer more gentle or challenging, certainly. And some decks are edgier or snarkier than others. Within a whole practice, look for a balance of salt and sugar as a sign you're in the zone.
If your readings consistently leave you feeling down, drained, or lesser than where you started, that’s a sign that something’s up with your self talk. On the other extreme, if your readings leave you feeling like a golden god, a divine emissary, or an invincible hero, you’re losing your balance and grounding. Something’s differently but equally not right. In either event, it’s a good idea to pause your practice, and seek out some therapeutic resources before continuing with tarot. You’ll want grounding practices in play, a gentle rapport with yourself, and some tools to deal with your inner critic. On the spiritual side, you may wish to cleanse or replace your decks before picking tarot back up.
You don’t need to be perfectly healed, or perfectly in tune with yourself to play with tarot, but you do want to make sure it helps and inspires more than harms. Adverse reactions can indicate that tarot simply isn’t the right tool for you at this time. They may also point to baggage, trauma, or internalized criticism that other resources and supports could help you with.
Tarot should be able to illuminate what you’ve overlooked and tell you things you don’t know yet. If you only ever see what you expect and want to see in the cards, something’s not right. Conversely, if you only see doom, gloom, and harsh news, something’s not right. Tarot should not sound abusive. Disagreement, snark, and lovingly calling you on your nonsense are not abuse. Disparagement, humiliation, shame, and cruel hyper-criticism are. Some readings will veer more gentle or challenging, certainly. And some decks are edgier or snarkier than others. Within a whole practice, look for a balance of salt and sugar as a sign you're in the zone.
If your readings consistently leave you feeling down, drained, or lesser than where you started, that’s a sign that something’s up with your self talk. On the other extreme, if your readings leave you feeling like a golden god, a divine emissary, or an invincible hero, you’re losing your balance and grounding. Something’s differently but equally not right. In either event, it’s a good idea to pause your practice, and seek out some therapeutic resources before continuing with tarot. You’ll want grounding practices in play, a gentle rapport with yourself, and some tools to deal with your inner critic. On the spiritual side, you may wish to cleanse or replace your decks before picking tarot back up.
You don’t need to be perfectly healed, or perfectly in tune with yourself to play with tarot, but you do want to make sure it helps and inspires more than harms. Adverse reactions can indicate that tarot simply isn’t the right tool for you at this time. They may also point to baggage, trauma, or internalized criticism that other resources and supports could help you with.
Be Undaunted
Tarot includes disturbing material because life includes disturbing material, and we cannot reflect or divine accurately on life without acknowledging the beautiful and the grotesque, the comforting and the disturbing, the romantic and the cynical, the life-affirming and the death-accepting, and the welcome and unwelcome all. I’ve always preferred to read with the full deck. I could understand occasionally removing one or two cards to avoid a trauma trigger. However, when we pull out or sugar-coat all the “scary cards” because we wish to dwell exclusively on the positive, we close ourselves off to truth. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable around the challenging and unpleasant aspects of this medium. Be undaunted and embrace them all the same. There’s gold in the grotesqueries, and dirt in the beautiful fantasies, both.
If the scary cards are a deal breaker for you, and they’re too much to deal with, I don’t look down on that. Tarot may not be the best tool for you in that case. There are many forms of divination and inspiration available, and an abundance of positive-vibes-only oracle decks and texts available on the market. Positivity oracles can be excellent for encouragement, inspiration, and comfort. You may not a need broad divination practice right now. If reassurance, gentle kindness, and reminders of goodness are what you most need at this stage, you can find that in an oracle without so many teeth. Positive oracles can also supplement a tarot practice. Some folks use them to close off reading sessions on an optimistic or uplifting note.
I don’t recommend exclusively positive approaches if you’re looking for a general divination tool to handle life’s ups and downs or predict outcomes, because there we do need symbols that can reference and warn us of troublesome things. If you’re engaged in some kind of magical practice or spirit work, it’s wise to make friends with a divination tool that has range and versatility. This still doesn’t have to be tarot; all methods have different characters. You might get more out of playing cards, Lenormand, astrology, I Ching, runes, a pendulum, scrying, bibliomancy, or something else.
Each deck has its own personality, but tarot’s character in aggregate arcs toward complexity, philosophy, and snark. It can take you on a journey, and loves to see you altered by the end.
To go deeper learning tarot, check out my book, Fortune's Inkwell. I've launched it with my first two decks, but it is a stand alone text you can use with any deck in your collection.
If the scary cards are a deal breaker for you, and they’re too much to deal with, I don’t look down on that. Tarot may not be the best tool for you in that case. There are many forms of divination and inspiration available, and an abundance of positive-vibes-only oracle decks and texts available on the market. Positivity oracles can be excellent for encouragement, inspiration, and comfort. You may not a need broad divination practice right now. If reassurance, gentle kindness, and reminders of goodness are what you most need at this stage, you can find that in an oracle without so many teeth. Positive oracles can also supplement a tarot practice. Some folks use them to close off reading sessions on an optimistic or uplifting note.
I don’t recommend exclusively positive approaches if you’re looking for a general divination tool to handle life’s ups and downs or predict outcomes, because there we do need symbols that can reference and warn us of troublesome things. If you’re engaged in some kind of magical practice or spirit work, it’s wise to make friends with a divination tool that has range and versatility. This still doesn’t have to be tarot; all methods have different characters. You might get more out of playing cards, Lenormand, astrology, I Ching, runes, a pendulum, scrying, bibliomancy, or something else.
Each deck has its own personality, but tarot’s character in aggregate arcs toward complexity, philosophy, and snark. It can take you on a journey, and loves to see you altered by the end.
To go deeper learning tarot, check out my book, Fortune's Inkwell. I've launched it with my first two decks, but it is a stand alone text you can use with any deck in your collection.
I usually ask pro readers working with these spreads to tip the blog, but if anyone would like to tip the blog this season, please kindly donate to Doctors Without Borders instead. Bless bless. Ceasefire now.
This post was brought to you by all my delightful Patreon supporters, and especially our Muse & Aesthete level patrons: Vince, Ann, Joy, Amy, JoXn, Tiffany, Nichole, Opifex, Cyn, Laura, Lenore, Megan, Anne, Tara, Melissa, Danielle, Schanate, Hawk, Thea, Liz, Aysha, Ellis, Sheri, and Julie. Thank you patrons! You are gems!
This post was brought to you by all my delightful Patreon supporters, and especially our Muse & Aesthete level patrons: Vince, Ann, Joy, Amy, JoXn, Tiffany, Nichole, Opifex, Cyn, Laura, Lenore, Megan, Anne, Tara, Melissa, Danielle, Schanate, Hawk, Thea, Liz, Aysha, Ellis, Sheri, and Julie. Thank you patrons! You are gems!
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